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Six mayoral candidates and 20 aldermanic candidates will seek seats at City Hall, as the primary ballot for the 2009 City of Frederick election was set Tuesday.

The mayor's race will include three Democrats and three Republicans. Eleven Republicans and 9 Democrats have filed to run for the Board of Aldermen.

Republican Rob Tobin, executive assistant for Mayor W. Jeff Holtzinger, was the final candidate to join the mayoral race; he filed paperwork Tuesday morning.

Holtzinger announced his decision to not seek a second term last month.

Tobin has served as Holtzinger's executive assistant for more than three years. He has overseen a plethora of the city's largest projects during his tenure, Holtzinger said, including construction of parking decks and upgrades to the airport, and has helped the Weinberg Center for the Arts flourish financially. He also owned a downtown business and worked as the city's facility administrator.

Tobin did not return calls for comment by The Gazette's press time.

"You're not going to beat his work ethic," Holtzinger said. "He's got tons of experience, and he has a proven track record. It's a wide range of things that he's handled, and they've all been successes."

Incumbent Alderman Alan Imhoff (R) also filed paperwork on Tuesday to run for a second term on the board.

"I feel that I have enjoyed doing it for four years, and I know I can do even better in the next four years," Imhoff said. "I believe I bring leadership and experience to this job that is unmatched by most of my peers."

Though it was presumed by many political observers that Imhoff would run for mayor, he said he has more to do as an alderman.

"I felt that I would be more effective as a legislator," Imhoff said, adding that his 11-year battle with cancer made him more judicious in his decision.

The aldermen field grew further Tuesday with Republican Bob Cassidy filing primarily to take on reform of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, he said.

Cassidy has lived in downtown Frederick for 13 years, and said that he has had his fair share of grievances with the commission. Over the years, complying with the historic district's guidelines has costs him several thousands of dollars, he said. Cassidy joined the newly formed Citizens for HPC Reform, a watchdog group for the city's historic commission.

"I'd like to reform the HPC, make it more user-friendly, not so vindictive," he said. Cassidy also said he wanted to take on issues such as cutting some of the city's spending and more oversight on the city's projects.

Republican Shelley Aloi also joined the aldermanic ballot. Raised in Frederick, Aloi attended Frederick County Public Schools and Hood College in Frederick, where she obtained a degree in biochemistry and mathematics.

Aloi left Frederick for about 14 years, and returned in 2002. "I have again fallen in love with Frederick, with the wonderful town it is, and in a nutshell, I want to make a contribution," she said of her candidacy.

On Monday, the ballot picked up Democrat mayoral candidate Chris Simpson, 40, a lifelong resident and owner of Golden Mile Liquors on the city's West Side. Simpson said safety on the West Side of the city will be his main focus.

"For the last 30 years, I've watched the West Side of Frederick decline from a friendly neighborhood to somewhere I wouldn't want to walk around at night," Simpson said. "We're out here to fend for ourselves."

New to politics, Simpson said he was inspired by Holtzinger's win in 2005, saying it showed him that an ordinary person could win.

"When I saw him take it and win, it just seemed like the normal guy could do it," he said.

Republican William Huckenpoehler joined the alderman race Monday. Huckenpoehler comes from an extensive military career and has lived and worked in Frederick for six years.

He said that he is running on a platform of "everyday topics," namely crime, transportation and education.

The primary election takes place Sept. 15, and the general is Nov. 3.

E-mail Erica L. Green at egreen@gazette.net.

FOR MAYOR

- Jennifer P. Dougherty (D), 48, served as Frederick's first female mayor from 2002 to 2006. She lost a re-election bid in 2005. A downtown business owner for 20 years, Dougherty now works as a realtor in Frederick.

- Jason Judd (D), 37, a first-time City Hall bidder, comes from a background of labor- and community organizing. A trained economist, he works in Washington, D.C. as a campaign director for the Service Employees International Union.

- Chris Simpson (D), 40, a newcomer to city politics, is a native of Frederick and owns a liquor store on the city's West Side.

- Clint P. Hoffman (R), 46, is the owner of Discount Towing in Frederick. This is his first political bid.

- Randy McClement (R), 52, is the owner of Market Street Bagel and Deli in downtown Frederick. He ran unsuccessfully for alderman four years ago, and sits on numerous boards in Frederick. He is president of the Tourism Council of Frederick County.

- Ron Tobin (R), serves as executive assistant for Mayor W. Jeff Holtzinger (R), where he has overseen city infrastructure projects.

FOR BOARD OF ALDERMEN

- Josh Bokee (D), 35, has served on the city's Planning Commission for the last three years. He works in the government affairs office for Comcast cable.

- John Daniels (D), 62, is a Navy veteran and retiree. The city resident of more than a year is seeking his first political office.

- Andrew Kotkin (D), 35, is a small business owner in downtown Frederick. He operates his own residential project and construction management company, Kotkin Management Group.

- David "Kip" Koontz (D), 46, is seeking his second term as alderman. He is an account executive at Comcast, and the aldermanic liaison to the city's Historic Preservation Commission.

- Carol Krimm (D), 58, is a 30-year-resident of Frederick. She is a legislative aide to state Del. Galen Clagett (D), who represents Frederick. Krimm is a member of a workgroup to review the city's land use and development codes.

- Donna Kuzemchak (D), 48, is seeking her fourth term as alderman. She is the liaison to the city's Education Commission, and a volunteer coordinator at Celebrate Frederick.

- Michael O'Connor (D), 42, moderated the show "Pressing Issues" on Channel 10 in Frederick until December and ran unsuccessfully for the Maryland House of Delegates in 2002. He is the business manager at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church in Frederick.

- Kelly Russell (D), 49, is a retired lieutenant for the Frederick Police Department, where she has returned to work as its special vehicle coordinator. This is her first local politics bid. She sits on the city's zoning committee.

- Karen Lewis Young (D), 57, is the wife of former Mayor Ron Young. Young owns her own market research and consulting firm, Karen Lewis Market Research, in Frederick.

- Shelley Aloi (R) is a native of Frederick. After leaving for 14 years, she returned to Frederick in 2002.

- Bill Ashton (R), 58, is a longtime resident of Frederick and fixture at City Hall, and has made two unsuccessful bids for aldermen. He operates a computer-based accounting business out of his Frederick home.

- George Bauer IV (R), 32, a four-year resident of Worman's Mill. He owns three Curves women's fitness locations in Montgomery County.

- Bill Cassidy (R), a 13-year resident of Frederick, recently joined the Citizens for HPC reform watchdog group. He is an insurance adjuster.

- Joe Cohen (R), 69, became an American citizen in May, though he has been a city resident and business owner for almost 10 years. He owns British Cigars and Goodies on North Market Street.

- Senitta Conyers (R), 26, is the daughter of Bishop Samie Conyers, who had run in several city and county elections, before moving recently to Atlanta. She is a program manager at Allied Technology and Consulting.

- Amanda Haddaway (R), 32, who was raised in Frederick, moved back to the city about two years ago. She works as the director of human resources and marketing for Folcolore Equipment Corp., a construction equipment dealership in Frederick.

- William Huckenpoehler (R), 42, comes from an extensive military background and has lived in the city for six years. He is a security program manager at a data operations center for CRGT Inc, under contract to the U.S. Army and Defense Department.

- John William Shupe (R), 61, is a cab driver for Yellow Cab of Frederick, and has been a Frederick resident since 1979.

- C. Paul Smith (R), 58, is seeking his second term as alderman. He has lived in Frederick city since 1992, and owns a law practice in Rockville.

- Alan Imhoff (R), 62, is seeking his second term as alderman. He is a retired executive at AT&T. Imhoff is the aldermanic liaison to the city's Planning Commission.